Method and System for Enabling a Communication Device to Remotely Execute an Application

ABSTRACT

A communication system capable of enabling one or more communication devices to remotely execute one or more applications includes one or more communication devices that are coupled to a data connection. At least one of the one or more communication devices is operable to communicate a request to establish a communication session over the data connection. The system also includes one or more application servers that are coupled to the data connection. At least one of the one or more application servers is adapted to execute an application to establish the requested communication session with the at least one communication device. The at least one application server resides at a location remote from the at least one communication device. The at least one application server communicates a request for processing service to the at least one communication device. The request for processing service is communicated to the at least one communication device over the data connection.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/975,747, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 9,264,483, whichwas filed Jul. 18, 2007, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates in general to the field of communicationsystems, and more particularly to a method and system that enables acommunication device to remotely execute an application.

BACKGROUND

Communication systems often operate to collect information from and/orprovide information to one or more users of the communication system.The communication systems typically employ one or more programs thatguide the collection of information from and/or the presentation ofinformation to a user. Conventional communication systems may, in somecases, require interaction with a remote input/output device to collectinformation from the user during the information collection process. Forexample, the input/output device may provide a communication pathbetween the user of the device and a voice processing system (VPS). TheVPS may include programs that respond to audio input, such as dual-tonemulti-frequency (DTMF) or voice, and produce audio output back throughthe network to the user.

SUMMARY OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In one embodiment, a communication system capable of enabling one ormore communication devices to remotely execute one or more applicationscomprises one or more communication devices that are coupled to a firstcommunication link that comprises a data connection. At least one of theone or more communication devices is adapted to communicate a request toestablish a communication session over the first communication link. Inone particular embodiment, the at least one communication device is athin-client device that provides processing services to an applicationsubstantially executed at a location remote from the at least onecommunication device. The system also comprises one or more applicationservers that are coupled to the first communication link and areoperable to receive the request communicated over the firstcommunication link. The system further comprises one or morerepositories that are coupled to at least one of the one or moreapplication servers and are operable to communicate with the one or moreapplication servers. At least one of the one or more repositories havingaccess to one or more applications maintained in a database coupled tothe at least one repository. The at least one repository adapted tocommunicate the identified application over a second communication linkto the at least one application server. The at least one applicationserver adapted to execute the identified application remote from the atleast one communication device and to establish the communicationsession with the at least one communication device. In this particularembodiment, the at least one application server communicates a requestfor processing service to the at least one communication device. Therequest for processing service is communicated to the at least onecommunication device over the data connection.

In another embodiment, a communication system capable of enabling one ormore communication devices to remotely execute one or more applicationscomprises one or more communication devices that are coupled to a dataconnection. At least one of the one or more communication devices isoperable to communicate a request to establish a communication sessionover the data connection. The system also includes one or moreapplication servers that are coupled to the data connection. At leastone of the one or more application servers adapted to execute anapplication to establish the requested communication session with the atleast one communication device. In this particular embodiment, the atleast one application server resides at a location remote from the atleast one communication device. The at least one application servercommunicates a request for processing service to the at least onecommunication device. The request for processing service is communicatedto the at least one communication device over the data connection.

In one example of a method for enabling one or more communicationdevices to remotely execute one or more applications, the methodcomprises communicating a request to establish a communication sessionfrom at least one communication device over a data connection. Themethod also comprises executing an application to establish therequested communication session over the data connection. Theapplication executed remotely from the at least one communicationdevice. The method further comprises communicating a request forprocessing service to the at least one communication device. In thisparticular embodiment, the request for processing service iscommunicated to the at least one communication device over the dataconnection.

Depending on the specific features implemented, particular embodimentsof the present invention may exhibit some, none, or all of the followingtechnical advantages. For example, various embodiments may be capable ofexecuting an application for a thin-client device. Some embodiments maybe capable of improving the efficiency of a user's interaction with acommunication system. Certain embodiments of the present disclosureprovide improvements for voice processing applications, including cost,performance, and availability.

Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled inthe art from the following figures, description and claims. Moreover,while specific advantages have been enumerated, various embodiments mayinclude all, some or none of the enumerated advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and forfurther features and advantages thereof, reference is now made to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate example embodiments of a communication systemcapable of collecting information from one or more users of the system;

FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a client for use with a communicationsystem that enables a client to have one or more applications executedremotely;

FIG. 3 illustrates one example embodiment of a repository for use in acommunication system that that enables a client to have one or moreapplications executed remotely; and

FIG. 4 illustrates one example embodiment of an application server foruse in a communication system that that enables a client to have one ormore applications executed remotely.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Particular examples and dimensions specified throughout this documentare intended for exemplary purposes only, and are not intended to limitthe scope of the present disclosure. In particular, this document is notintended to be limited to remote processing of voice-based applications,such as, Voice XML-based applications.

FIGS. 1A-1D are block diagrams of example embodiments of acommunications system 10 capable of collecting information from one ormore users of system 10. In various embodiments system 10 can comprise anetwork or communication system used by an entity, such as, for example,a hospital, a bank, or other business entity. It should be appreciatedthat other embodiments of system 10 may be used without departing fromthe scope of the present disclosure.

In these examples, system 10 includes one or more application servers 24capable of performing a desired communicating and/or computingfunctionality, such as, for example, accessing, retrieving, and/orexecuting one or more system applications 28, or portions thereof. Asnon-limiting examples, application servers 24 could comprise some or allof a Voice XML-based system, an extensible interactive voice response(XIVR) system, an interactive web-based system, or a combination ofthese or other information systems. In particular embodiments,application servers 24 may include one or more software and/or firmwaremodules. In various embodiments, application servers 24 could comprise,for example, one or more software engines, one or more memory modules,and/or one or more speech recognition modules capable of processingVoice XML-based applications, XIVR-based applications, voice responses,text-to-speech translations, and/or speech-to-text translations.

In one particular embodiment, application servers 24 receive and/orcommunicate information, portions of an application, and/or one or morerequests for processing service through a network 12 coupled toapplication server 24. As used throughout this document, the term“couple” and/or “coupled” refers to any direct or indirect communicationbetween two or more elements, whether or not those elements are inphysical contact with one another. In this example, application servers24 couple to network 12 through one or more communications links 30. Inother embodiments, application servers 24 operate to collect, store,and/or communicate information to and/or from network 12.

Network 12 may comprise any wireless network, wireline network, orcombination of wireless and wireline networks capable of supportingcommunication between network elements using ground-based and/orspace-based components. In this particular embodiment, network 12comprises at least a portion of the global computer network known as theInternet. In other embodiments, network 12 may comprise a informationnetwork, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), an integratedservices digital network (ISDN), a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), and/or othercommunication systems or combination of communication systems at one ormore locations.

One or more clients 18 a-18 n may couple to network 12 through one ormore communications links 32 and/or one or more networks 14, 16. Eachclient 18 may include any computing and/or communication device capableof enabling the communication of information to and/or from network 12.In some embodiments, clients 18 a-18 n may enable a user of system 10 tocommunicate information to and/or receive information from one or moreof application servers 24. In other embodiments, clients 18 a-18 n canenable a user of system 10 to communicate information to and/or receiveinformation from one or more repositories 20.

In various embodiments, clients 18 may comprise a thin-client. As usedthroughout this document the phrase “thin-client” refers to a devicethat provides processing services to an application executed at alocation remote from the device. Each client 18 may include, forexample, a wireless device, a voice over IP device, a desktop computer,a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a cell-phone, a Wi-Fidevice, a workstation, a mainframe computer, a mini-frame computer, aweb server, or any other computing and/or communicating device. Althoughthese examples show clients 18 communicating with application servers 24and/or repositories 20 over network 12, in other embodiments, some orall clients 18 could alternatively, or in addition, communicate withapplication server 24 and/or repositories 20 using direct links.

System 10 also includes one or more repositories 20 coupled to network12 and capable of performing a desired communicating and/or computingfunctionality. In this particular embodiment, one or more repositories20 include application logic adapted to identify a desired application28. In various embodiments, repositories 20 may operate to identify adesired application 28 and to communicate application 28, or portionsthereof, to one or more of application servers 24 for execution. In somecases, one or more repositories 20 may be capable of storing and/orhaving access to one or more applications 28.

In this particular embodiment, repository 20 accesses applications 28stored in a database 22. As used throughout this document, the term“application” refers to functionality that is capable of facilitatingthe ability to collect information from and/or present information toone or more clients 18 or users of system 10. In one particularnon-limiting example, application 28 comprises a series of queriesrequesting information from and/or presenting information to a user ofclient 18. In some cases, applications 28 may include, for example, aVoice XML-based application, an HTML-based application, an XML-basedapplication, an XIVR-based application, or a combination of these orother application formats. Applications 28 may comprise, for example,software, firmware, code, portions of code, a program, a web-page,information compilations, and/or a combination of these or any othertypes of utilities. In other embodiments, database 22 may be capable ofstoring, for example, one or more functions and/or other information.

Database 22 may include any hardware, software, firmware, or combinationthereof operable to store and facilitate retrieval of one or moreapplications 28 and/or information. Database 22 may store informationand applications 28 using any of a variety of information structures,arrangements, and/or compilations. In some embodiments, database 22 canalso store a record of any interaction between a user of client 18 andsystem 10. Database 22 may, for example, include a dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a NAND flashmemory, or any other suitable volatile or nonvolatile storage andretrieval device or combination of devices. Although this exampledepicts database 22 as a single medium, database 22 may comprise anyadditional number of storage media without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure. Additionally, all or part of database 22 couldreside locally within repository 20 or could reside in a location remotefrom and accessible to repository 20. Although these examples showsrepository 20 communicating with application servers 24 and/or clients18 over network 12, in other embodiments, repository 20 couldalternatively, or in addition, communicate with application server 24and/or clients 18 using direct links.

In the illustrated embodiment, system 10 includes at least firstcommunications links 30 and second communications links 32 operable tofacilitate the communication of information to and/or from network 12.System 10 also includes a third communications link 34 operable tofacilitate the communication of information between repositories 20 anddatabase 22. Communications links 30, 32, and 34 may include anyhardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. In variousembodiments, communications links 30, 32, and 34 may comprisecommunications media capable of assisting in the communication of analogand/or digital signals. Communications links 30, 32, and 34 may, forexample, comprise a fiber optic line, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), awireless link, a USB bus, a PCI bus, an ethernet interface, or any othersuitable interface and/or medium operable to assist in the communicationof information to and/or from network 12. In this particular embodiment,communication links 30, 32, and 34 comprise data connections. In thisexample, any data communicated between application servers 24 andclients 18 over communication links 30 and 32 is advantageouslycommunicated asynchronously. Communicating the data asynchronouslyallows more than one user to connect to application servers 24 at thesame time over a single data connection.

In this particular embodiment, communication link 32 a is coupled to awireless network 14 and communication link 32 n is coupled to a wirelinenetwork 16. Although communication links 32 a and 32 n are coupled towireless network 14 and wireline network 16, respectively, in thisexample, other embodiments may exclude wireless network 14 and/orwireline network 16 without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

In some embodiments, clients 18 can be configured to initiate aconnection with repositories 20 and/or application servers 24. In somecases, clients 18 can initiate a data connection with repositories 20and/or application servers 24. For example, if client 18 is a mobilephone, a wireless connection can be processed through wireless network14 to application server 24. After the client 18 connects to applicationserver 24, application server 24 can initiate a preliminarycommunication session with the user of client 18. Through this initialcommunication session, information regarding the target address ofclient 18 can be established. Address information can be gatheredautomatically, for example by reading a unique identification number ofthe device, or by question and answer sequences with the user of device18. Repository 20, database 22, and/or application server 24 can alsostore caller associated data, such as an IP address used to establish adata connection. In some cases, repository 20 and/or application server24 can establish a data socket connection to communicate with client 18,or the repository 20 can notify the application server 24 to establishthis connection with client 18. This connection can then be used for theduration of the communication session.

Landline phones and/or IP phones can also communicate with repository 20and/or application server 24 in the same manner as mobile phonesdescribed above. Also, repository 20 and/or application server 24 mayalso use simultaneous or duplexed data connections with clients 18. Thiscan allow repository 20 and/or application server 24 to simultaneouslyexecute the initial communication session while also communicating overanother data connection with client 18.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of one example embodiment of communicationsystem 10 that enables a client 18 to have one or more applications 28executed remotely. In this particular embodiment, a user of client 18 ainitiates an information collection and/or retrieval process bycommunicating a request to application server 24. Although a user ofclient 18 a initiates a communication session in this example withapplication server 24, any of clients 18 a-18 n could initiate thecommunication session with application server 24 and/or repository 20without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In otherembodiments, a user of client 18 a could initiate the informationcollection and/or retrieval process by connecting to repository 20. Insome embodiments, one of applications server 24 and/or repository 20could initiate the information collection process with client 18.

In this particular embodiment, client 18 a comprises a thin-client. Inthis example, client 18 a preferably has memory and some processingcapabilities that enable client 18 a to execute portions of code toassist with the interaction with remotely executed application 28. Aremotely executed application is one in which a substantial portion ofthe code executes on a device other than client 18. In this example,application server 24 is addressed using an Internet Protocol (IP) layeraddress. In other embodiments, application server 24 could be addressedusing any other addressing format, such as, for example, uniformresource locator (URL).

In this example, application server 24 notifies repository 20 that acommunication session with client 18 has been requested. Repository 20using its application logic operates to identify a desired application28 and to communicate application 28, or portions thereof, toapplication server 24 for execution. Upon receipt of application 28,application server 24 executes application 28 and begins a communicationsession with client 18 a. In this example, application server 24 beginsthe process of communicating information to and/or retrievinginformation from client 18 a. In this particular embodiment, applicationserver 24 executes a Voice XML-based application that enablesapplication server 24 to interact with and collect information fromclient 18 a. In other embodiments, the application executed byapplication server 24 may comprise, for example, an XIVR-basedapplication, an HTML-based application, a VML-based application, or acombination of these or other application formats.

In this particular embodiment, application server 24 executes the VoiceXML-based application 28 remote from client 18 a. In this example,client 18 a provides application independent processing services toVoice XML-based application 28 executing remotely. In some cases,application server 24 can communicate some programs to client 18 a fordownloading to assist application server 24 in interacting with client18 a. In most cases, any program downloaded to client 18 a would assistwith the collection of information from and/or the presentation ofinformation to the user of client 18 a. For example, application server24 may communicate a voice recognition software program to client 18 afor downloading, which will assist client 18 a in executing one or morequeries associated with the Voice XML-based application 28 beingexecuted on application server 24.

Application server 24 interacts with the user of client 18 a byrequesting that the user of client 18 a respond to a series of queriesassociated with application 28. To that end, application server 24communicates information relating to portions of Voice XML-based code toclient 18 a for execution on client 18 a, which enables the user ofclient 18 a to interact with application server 24. In some embodiments,the user of client 18 a can respond through a DTMF input, a voice input,a stylus input, a keyboard input, and/or any other device capable ofreceiving a response that is comprehensible to client 18 a. In thisparticular embodiment, the user of client 18 a responds to each of theseries of queries by “speaking” a response to each query communicated toclient 18 a for execution. In this example, client 18 a communicates theuser's spoken response as a data communication. That is, the user'sresponse is packetized and communicated in a packet based communication.By transmitting only data, problems associated with voice qualitydegradation are advantageously reduced.

In this particular embodiment, application server 24 receives anddecodes the user's responses to each of the queries associated with theVoice XML-based application. Although application server 24 receives theresponses to the queries in this example, repository 20 and/or database22 could alternatively receive the responses without departing from thescope of the present disclosure. Upon receipt, application server 24executes the next portion of Voice XML-based application 28 based atleast in part on the user's response. Application server 24 willcontinue to interact with client 18 a until the communication session isterminated. In this example, the user of client 18 a interacts withapplication server 24 until the remaining information has been collectedand/or presented to the user of client 18 a. In other embodiments,application server 24 can associate the user of client 18 a with anotherone of application servers 24 to collect another portion of informationfrom and/or present another portion of information to the user of client18 a using, for example, another application 28.

In some embodiments, after the communication session between client 18 aand application server 24 is terminated, any programs downloaded toclient 18 a could be deleted to free up the memory. In otherembodiments, any programs downloaded to client 18 a could be retainedfor use with a future request. Although the program is downloaded toclient 18 a in this example, in alternative examples the program may bepre-installed in client 18 a without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. For example, a user may anticipate using client 18 afor buying and selling stocks in real-time and may pre-install a programor interface for performing the necessary communication and/or computingfunctionality.

In yet another embodiment, client 18 a could use an Internet browser tohost one or more plug-ins that facilitates the processing of commandsfrom the user or the device. In one embodiment, application servers 24could host the application logic in an enhanced HTML format. A browserutilized by client 18 could read the logic and execute it. The internetbrowser could be used as an interface to input user information toapplication 28, and/or present information from application 28 executedon application server 24.

In yet another embodiment, application server 24 and/or repository 20could package multiple queries or request together and send them toclient 18 a in an executable for interaction with the user. In thatembodiment, client 18 a executes multiple queries or requests forinformation before communication the users responses to applicationserver 24. When the multiple questions or requests are complete, theresponses are sent to the application server 24 for processing, whichcould result in information being sent back to the user or furtherrequests from the application server 24. The process can be repeated asnecessary. In this example, the entire application 28 is notcommunicated sent to client 18, thus reducing the memory and processingpower needed within the device.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of one example embodiment of communicationsystem 10 that enables a client 18 to have one or more applications 28executed remotely. FIG. 1B is similar to FIG. 1A; however, in thisparticular embodiment, system 10 includes a plurality of applicationservers 24 a-24 n coupled to network 12. Coupling multiple applicationservers 24 to system 10 advantageously allows system 10 to handle alarger number of simultaneous requests from users of clients 18 a-18 n.

In an alternative embodiment, system 10 could include a load balancer(not illustrated) that is coupled to network 12 and application servers24 a-24 n. In that example, the load balancer can comprise logic thatenables it to decide which application server 24 a-24 n can support aparticular request or application 28. In some cases, the load balancercan perform a round-robin assignment. In other cases, the load balancercan choose a particular application server 24 based on dynamicinformation. For example, the load balancer could choose applicationserver 24 b since it just handled a similar request and already has thedesired application downloaded.

In this example, system 10 also includes a database 26 coupled tonetwork 12 by data connection 36. In various embodiments, the structureand function of database 26 can be substantially similar to thestructure and function of database 22. Database 26 can contain a varietyof information accessible through network 12. In some cases, database 26can include user-specific information that can be retrieved by clients18 or by application server 24, such as account information, creditinformation, medical information, insurance information, and/or anyuser-related information. In other cases, database 26 may includenonuser specific information that can be retrieved by clients 18 orapplication server 24, such as airline flight information, order statusinformation, movie information, and/

In another alternative embodiment, system 10 could comprise a pluralityof repositories 20 connected to a single database 22, or connected tomultiple databases 22. In that embodiment, each of the plurality ofrepositories 20 could be coupled to a load balancer capable of balancingtraffic between the plurality of repositories 20. The repositories couldbe assigned to perform different tasks, or they could perform tasksbased on the order they are requested or based on any other allocationsystem.

In this example, a user of client 18 b desires to check the balance ofhis bank account. Although the user of client 18 b desires to check thebalance in his bank account in this example, the user could use system10 to retrieve and/or communicate any information without departing fromthe scope of the present disclosure. In this particular embodiment,client 18 b is a thin-client device. Although client 18 b is used inthis example, any other of clients 18 a-18 n could be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure.

Using client 18 b the user initiates a communication session withapplication server 24 a by communicating a request through network 12.In this embodiment, client 18 b communicates with application server 24a over a data connection. Application server 24 a notifies repository 20of the request and repository 20 communicates with database 22 toretrieve application 28 that will assist the user of client 18 b inperforming the desired functionality. In some cases, database 22 mayretrieve any information about the user maintained in database 22. Inthis particular embodiment, repository 22 identifies that client 18 b isadapted to provide processing services for application 28 that willexecute remote from client 18 b. After receiving application 28 fromdatabase 22, repository 20 communicates application 28 and any userinformation to application server 24 a for execution.

Application server 24 a executes application 28 and initiates itscommunication session with client 18 b. While the application server 24a executes application 28, client 18 b is capable of locally executingcommands related to application 28 and delivered via the dataconnection. By executing these commands, client 18 b enables informationto be communicated to the user, to be retrieved from the user, to bepresented to the user, and to perform any other desired communicatingand/or computing functionality with the user. In some cases, the locallyexecuted commands enable client 18 b to retrieve information fromdatabase 26. That is, the locally executed commands received fromapplication server 24 a direct client 18 b to access database 26 b andretrieve the desired information. In other cases, the locally executedcommands enable client 18 b to communicate any information provided bythe user of client 18 b to database 26 for storage.

To check a bank account balance, application 28 executing on applicationserver 24 a may send a first executable to client 18 b for execution.This first executable may contain information relating to a portion ofVoice XML code that requests the user to enter or speak an accountnumber. Client 18 b executes the executable by prompting the user toenter an account number. In some cases, client 18 b can execute voicerecognition software, text-to-speech software, and/or any other desiredsoftware that would assist with the collection of information fromand/or the presentation of information to the user of client 18 b. Inthis particular embodiment, the user of 18 b enters the account numberusing a keypad. Although the user enters the account number using akeypad in this example, any other method may be used to enter thedesired information without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. After the user enters the account number, client 18 bcommunicates the information to application server 24 a over the datacommunication link.

Upon receipt of the account number, application server 24 a continuesthe execution of application 28. In this example, application 28 directsapplication server 24 a to retrieve the account balance for the accountnumber provided by the user of client 18 b from database 22. In otherembodiments, the account balance information may be received byapplication server 24 a with receipt of application 28. In some cases,application server 24 a may compare the account number received from theuser of client 18 b with the account number retrieved from database 22for fraud protection purposes.

Once application server 24 a has the account balance information,application server 24 a can communicate an executable that contains theaccount balance information to client 18 b for local execution. In somecases, the account balance could be sent as a data message for the userto view on a display associated with client 18 b or the applicationserver 24 a could package a voice representation of the account balanceas an executable, and transmit the executable to client 18 b. In thatcase, client 18 b would execute the executable, converting the data tovoice, and the user hears his account balance from client 18 b.

In the above embodiment, application server 24 retrieves informationdirectly from database 22. In an alternative embodiment, applicationserver 24 can send an executable to client 18 b instructing client 18 bto retrieve the desired information from database 22 and/or database 26,either directly or through a network connection. The executable can alsoinstruct device 18 to send information to database 22 and/or 26. Invarious embodiments, database 22 and/or 26 can comprise user-specificinformation. For example, database 26 may include account information,credit information, medical information, and/or any other information ofthe user of client 18 b In other embodiment, database 22 and/or 26 cancomprise generally available information. For example, database 26 caninclude airline flight information, stock quotes, weather information,sports ticket information, movie information, and/or any other desiredinformation.

In some cases, the information retrieved by client 18 b can be processedby client 18 b using an executable received from application server 24a. In other cases, the information retrieved by client 18 b can beprocessed by one or more software modules that assist with thecollection of information from and/or the presentation of information tothe user of client 18 b. In other embodiments, the data sought by client18 b can be communicated to client 18 b through application server 24 a.

As an example, a user may want to check on the status of an airlineflight. Client 18 d connects to application server 24 b, which requeststhe appropriate application 28 from repository 20. Application 28 isexecuted on application server 24 b. Application 28 sends an executablefrom application server 24 b to client 18 d that instructs client 18 dto retrieve the flight information from database 26, which in thisexample contains flight status information. Client 18 d initiates aconnection to database 26 through network 12 to retrieve theinformation. The information can be sent back through network 12 toclient 18 d. In this example, the executable then instructs client 18 dto present the flight status information to the user using one of avariety of methods, such as by text or voice. The user can then end theconnection, or continue with other business.

In another embodiment, the executable could instruct client 18 d toretrieve the information from database 26, but instead of processing theinformation at client 18 d for presentation to the user, the informationcould be sent through network 12 to application server 24 b for furtherprocessing. Application server 24 b, for example, may convert the dataconcerning the flight status into an easily-readable text format, andthen transmit that information to client 18 d for presentation to theuser.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of one example embodiment of communicationsystem 10 that enables a client 18 to have one or more applications 28executed remotely. FIG. 1C is similar to FIG. 1B; however, in thisparticular embodiment, system 10 includes a plurality of databases 22a-22 n coupled to repository 20. Although a plurality of databases 22are coupled to repository 20 in this example, system 10 could comprise aplurality of repositories 20 each including one or more databases 22without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1D is a block diagram of one example embodiment of communicationsystem 10 that enables a client 18 to have an application 28 executedremotely. FIG. 1D is similar to FIG. 1A; however, in this particularembodiment, system 10 includes a direct communication link 36 betweenrepository 20 and application server 24. Although one cluster thatincludes application server 24, repository 20, and database 22 iscoupled to network 12 in this example, system 10 could comprise aplurality of clusters coupled to network 12 without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates one example embodiment of a client 18. In thisparticular embodiment, client 18 comprises a mobile telephone. Althoughclient 18 comprises a mobile phone in this example, client 18 couldcomprise any other desired computing and/or communication device withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, client18 could comprise a voice over IP device, a desktop computer, a laptopcomputer, a personal digital assistant, a cell-phone, a Wi-Fi device, aworkstation, a mainframe computer, a mini-frame computer, a web server,or any other computing and/or communicating device. In this particularembodiment, client 18 comprises a thin-client device that providesprocessing services to application 28 executing remotely from client 18.

In this example, client 18 comprises a processor 40, memory 42, anddigital signal processor (DSP) 44. Client 18 also includes at least adisplay, input device, and speaker. Many communication devices alreadyhave processors and memory operable to interact with a communicationsystem. Devices that use application server 24 to execute one or moreexecutables associated with one or more applications 28, as describedabove, require less processing power and memory than a device thatexecutes substantially all of applications 28.

Memory 42 provides storage for data, information, and/or programs toassist in communicating information to and/or receive information fromapplication server 24 and/or the repository 20. The memory in theexample embodiments is sufficient to handle the tasks that applicationservers 24 and/or repository 20 request of the device. Processing poweralso is sufficient to handle these, as well as the other tasks thedevice performs outside the context of the data collection system (suchas making phone calls, sending and receiving text messages, othercomputing functions, etc.).

FIG. 3 shows one example of a repository for use in a communicationsystem that enables a client to have one or more applications executedremotely. In this particular embodiment, repository 20 functions tocommunicate one or more applications and/or discrete programs toexternal devices, like application servers 24 and/or clients 18 of FIG.1, for processing or execution.

In this example, repository 20 includes application logic 70 that iscapable of performing a desired communicating and/or computingfunctionality, such as, for example, identifying a desired applicationand communicating the application, or portions thereof, to one or moreof application servers for execution. In particular embodiments,application logic 70 may include one or more software and/or firmwaremodules, such as, for example, one or more software engines and/or oneor more memory modules. Although application logic 70 is shown as beingcontained within repository 20 in this example, application logic couldreside external to repository 20 without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure.

In one particular example, application logic has access to one or moreapplications stored in a memory coupled to application logic 70. IN somecases, the memory can be substantially similar to the structure andfunction of database 22 of FIG. 1. In some cases, the one or moreapplications may include, for example, a Voice XML-based application, anHTML-based application, an XML-based application, an XIVR-basedapplication, or a combination of these or other application formats.

In this particular example, repository 20 communicates an executablecopy of a desired application to one or more application servers 24 forexecution and establishment of a communication session with client 18.In various embodiments, the applications can be developed withdevelopment environment 72 through computer workstations 76 a-76 n. Theapplications can be programmed in proprietary languages requiringresident interpreters or compilers, or can use an extensible language,which can be transferable to a host processor (such as applicationservers 24) with the components used to run the given application.Languages such as hypertext markup language (HTML), extensible markuplanguage (XML), Voice XML, and the like may be utilized in providing theextensibility to program applications for use with the present system.

Repository 20 may also facilitate browsing the Internet from acompatible client 18. In order to accomplish this, repository 20includes an HTTP translator 74. Repository 20 can browse through theInternet, read the HTML web pages, and convert the HTML into acompatible format for communication to a user of client 18. Repository20 can also direct application server 24 to perform these actionsinstead. The HTTP can then be converted into the appropriate transportprotocol and the web pages, or portions thereof, can be sent to theclient 18 by application server 24. In certain embodiments, thetranslation executed by HTTP translator 74 can convert text-to-speechand note hyperlinks as special cues to inform users of the executablelinks available. Additionally or alternatively, portions of the web sitemay be visually presented as text or graphics on a display associatedwith client 18. These conversion components can be included in theapplication processed by application server 24, or, if small enough, canbe sent to client 18 and executed there.

FIG. 4 shows one example of an application server for use in acommunication system that that enables a client to have one or moreapplications executed remotely. In this example, application server 24is capable of performing a desired communicating and/or computingfunctionality, such as, for example, accessing, retrieving, and/orexecuting one or more system applications, or portions thereof. Asnon-limiting examples, application server 24 could comprise some or allof a Voice XML-based system, an extensible interactive voice response(XIVR) system, an interactive web-based system, or a combination ofthese or other information systems. In particular embodiments,application server 24 may include one or more software and/or firmwaremodules. In various embodiments, application server 24 could comprise,for example, one or more software engines, one or more memory modules,and/or one or more speech recognition modules capable of processingVoice XML-based applications, XIVR-based applications, voice responses,text-to-speech translations, and/or speech-to-text translations.

In this particular embodiment, application server 24 includes aprocessor 80 and memory 82. Although application server 24 includesprocessor 80 and memory 82 in this example, any other desired computingand/or communication components may be included without departing fromthe scope of the present disclosure. In this example, processor 80 iscapable of processing one or more requests received from a client andexecuting one or more applications. Processor 80 can comprise anycomputer processor, such a, for example, single-core, duel-core, and/orany other server processor that is capable of processing requests andexecuting applications.

In this example, memory 82 provides storage for data, information,and/or other programs to assist in the operation of application server24. Memory 82 may include any hardware, software, firmware, orcombination thereof operable to store and facilitate retrieval of one ormore applications and/or information. Memory 82 may, for example,include a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random accessmemory (SRAM), a NAND flash memory, or any other suitable volatile ornonvolatile storage and retrieval device or combination of devices.Although this example depicts memory 82 as a single medium, memory 82may comprise any additional number of storage media without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, all or part ofmemory 82 could reside at a location remote from and accessible toapplication server 24.

In this particular embodiment, memory 82 includes application logic 84that is capable of processing a request received from a client and todetermine the location of the application necessary to establish therequested communication session with the user of the client. Applicationlogic 84 may comprise, for example, software, firmware, code, portionsof code, a program, a web-page, information compilations, and/or acombination of these or any other types of utilities.

Although the present invention has been described in severalembodiments, a myriad of changes, variations, alterations,transformations, and modifications may be suggested to one skilled inthe art, and it is intended that the present invention encompass suchchanges, variations, alterations, transformations, and modifications asfalling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A client device, comprising: a processor; and amemory having stored thereon a software program that, when executed bythe processor, causes the client device to: establish a communicationsession to an application server over a first communication link,wherein the first communication link comprises a data connection;provide processing services to an application, wherein a portion of theapplication is executed on the application server remote from the clientdevice and wherein, if the application portion is not already present onthe application server, said application server is operable to receivesaid application portion over a second communication link; and receive arequest for a processing service from the application server over thedata connection, wherein the request for processing service comprisesone or more queries for information from a user.
 2. The client device ofclaim 1, further comprising one or more of: a display capable ofpresenting text, video, and image information to the user; a speaker oraudio connection, capable of providing audio information to the user;and input devices capable of receiving voice input, stylus input,keyboard input, touch input, or any other input that is comprehensibleto the client device.
 3. The client device of claim 2, wherein thesoftware program, when executed by the processor, causes the clientdevice to present information to the user in at least one formatselected from the group: audio, voice, text, video and image, andprocessing input said input, utilizing said client device capabilities.4. The client device of claim 2, wherein the input device has a wirelessor wired connection to said client device, said input device capable ofreceiving the touch, voice, or other input and communicating said inputto said client device.
 5. The client device of claim 2, wherein thefirst communication link is a wireless connection, a Wi-Fi connection,an Ethernet connection, or a wired connection.
 6. The client device ofclaim 2, wherein the client device is a mobile device.
 7. The clientdevice of claim 2, wherein the client device is a mobile phone.
 8. Theclient device of claim 1, wherein the software program is responsive toone or more queries by receiving input selected from a group consistingof a spoken voice input, a stylus input, a keyboard input, a touchinput, and any input that is comprehensible to the client device.
 9. Theclient device of claim 8, wherein the application receives a userresponse and executes a next portion of the application based at leastin part on the user response.
 10. The client device of claim 8, whereinthe application continues to interact with the user until remaininginformation has been collected from or presented to the user on theclient device.
 11. The client device of claim 8, wherein said spokenvoice input is communicated to said application server as a datacommunication.
 12. The client device of claim 8, wherein said spokenvoice input is at least partially decoded by the software program andthen communicated to said application server as a data communication.13. The client device of claim 1, wherein the application portionexecuting on the server remote from the client device providesinformation or database access services.
 14. The client device of claim13, wherein the said information or database access services includecollection, retrieval, modification and storage of data as requested bysaid software program.
 15. The client device of claim 1, wherein theapplication portion executing on the server remote from the clientdevice provides access to a remote database.
 16. The client device ofclaim 1, wherein data retrieved from the user can be processed by saidsoftware program.
 17. The client device of claim 1, wherein informationretrieved by said client device can be processed by one or more softwaremodules that assist with the collection of information from and/or thepresentation of the information to the user of said client device. 18.The client device of claim 17, wherein said processing may cause atransaction to be executed based on data retrieved from the user. 19.The client device of claim 18, wherein the result of said transaction ispresented to the user by the software program.
 20. The client device ofclaim 1, wherein information associated with a user response to the oneor more queries is retrieved by the software program from saidapplication server or at least one remote database.
 21. The clientdevice of claim 1, wherein information associated with a user responseto the one or more queries is retrieved by the software program from arepository or application that includes an HTTP translator that enablesInternet browsing, reading web pages, and converting webpages into aformat compatible with said software program.
 22. The client device ofclaim 1, wherein the request for the processing service comprises one ormore instructions to the client device to retrieve content from a sourcelocated remote from the client device, including data representingaudio, voice, text, video, image, or executable software code.
 23. Theclient device of claim 1, wherein the request for the processing servicecomprises one or more instructions to the client device to send contentto a destination located remote from the client device, including datarepresenting audio, voice, text, video, image, or executable softwarecode.
 24. A client device, comprising: a processor; and a memory havingstored thereon software code that, when executed by the processor,causes the client device to: establishing a first communications link toone or more application servers, the first communication link comprisinga data connection, wherein at least one of the one or more applicationservers is adapted to establish a communication session with the clientdevice; transmitting a request from the client device to establish thecommunication session, wherein the one or more application serversreside at locations remote from the client device; wherein the one ormore application servers are operable to receive, or have previouslyreceived, an application over a second communication link, wherein theone or more application server are further operable to execute thereceived application remote from the client device and to establish thecommunication session with the client device; and receiving, at theclient device, a request for a processing service, wherein the requestfor the processing service is communicated to the client device over thedata connection, and wherein the request for the processing servicecomprises one or more queries for information from a user.
 25. Theclient device of claim 24, wherein the one or more queries comprise apreliminary communication session to acquire unique identificationinformation about the user.
 26. The client device of claim 24, whereinthe client device further comprises a software program capable ofexecuting and providing services to the application, wherein asubstantial portion of the application is executed on one or moreapplication servers at a location remote from the client device, whereineach of the one or more application servers contains applicationcontent.
 27. The client device of claim 24, wherein the software codeenables the client device to: collect information from and presentinformation to the user.
 28. The client device of claim 24, wherein thesoftware code causes the client device to: store information about theone or more client devices and/or store a record of any interactionbetween a user and the system to a database.
 29. The client device ofclaim 24, wherein the software code is specifically suited to operate inconjunction with a specific application having content contained on oneor more application servers.
 30. The client device of claim 24, whereinthe software code comprises a portion of the application's logic.